Holden launches affordable Volt electric vehicle

[mauser]

"AN electric car with a Holden badge can be yours for just under $60,000.
Holden has confirmed the $59,990 price of its ''range-extender'' Volt electric vehicle, slotting it in between the V6 and V8 Calais V Commodore sedan models."
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new...-1226414953564


I think if registration incentives were introduced the proposition would be far more attractive.... not helped by the massive hike in electricity supply due to the carbon tax. The ACT Goverment was going to introduce charging stations in public carparks but I havnt seen any and I would wonder about supply costs on top of the parking charges.

Would you buy one?



Mauser

[SKI_Pilot]

The vehicle also has a 1.4-litre petrol engine that is used purely to keep a charge in the battery - not drive the wheels directly - that seems a large engine just to charge a battery

[Alien DNA]

I'd probably consider it...mainly because its not hideously ugly like the rest of the 'green' cars available!!

[playwme]

Hell no!

Made in America and apparently a bit of a lemon. Wouldn't call 60k affordable either. I'd rather spend 20k and convert one of my smaller classics.

[wbute]

No. I wouldn't buy any electric car. They don't make sense. Put an oil well down using diesel. Then use oil to make diesel. Use up to 400 litres of diesel an hour per machine to mine coal. Burn coal to make electricity. Then charge the car with electricity.
Why not just use the oil to make petrol in the first place?
Electric cars are ridiculous.

[buck]

No. I wouldn't buy any electric car. They don't make sense. Put an oil well down using diesel. Then use oil to make diesel. Use up to 400 litres of diesel an hour per machine to mine coal. Burn coal to make electricity. Then charge the car with electricity.
Why not just use the oil to make petrol in the first place?
Electric cars are ridiculous.

I love the way they call these cars affordable most around $60,000 including the nissan leaf, with the way power bills are going not worth it. I also see toyota is going to get slapped with the carbon tax for its hybrids made here and all the imported ones like the honda, nissan and volt don't, so the government gives with one hand it takes with the other.
Also i would love to see a hybrid or electric car tow a trailer with 5 people on board, i wonder what the carbon out put is when this is the case, ie the gov should be pushing lpg commodores and falcons not useless gutless electric buzz boxs

[Bill]

if they are going to make electric cars the future then do it right

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cf89tawZX8

i wouldnt mind this

[sandasharpe]

It seems like people have developed an opinion on electric/hybrid cars and then go looking for facts to support there opinions. The trick I think is to take this at face value. Young guy at work won the competition to drive a Volt and I was talking to him about it the other day. Loves it. Also loves the attention it gets on the road. Has been driving it for about 2 weeks and hasn't put any fuel in it. He lives in St Kilda and commutes to Port Melb. Costs him cents per day to charge up and leaves his old Golf Gti for dead (his words) Is this the silver bullet? No. I need to tow horse floats on the weekend and spend most of my time on cruise control at 110 K's. At highway speeds the gap starts to close. In this kids position though? $60 grand is a big ask but will come down as volume goes up and if it makes the same impression on others as this young bloke then the volumes should go up.

Still I can't understand what the problem is with LPG. I've been driving a dual fuel Berlina for ages until recently and it was costing me around $65 per week for around 1,200 K's Does everything, great to drive - even my daughter agrees and all Aussie fuel. Now will someone explain to me why people weren't queuing up?

[wbute]

You say he hasn't put any fuel in it???? How did the electricity get generated that he used?? Why with coal that was mined with diesel of course. So he still is using diesel, he just doesn't realise it.

[mauser]

This article backs up Wbute's arguements.

http://canberratimes.drive.com.au/mo...705-21ifc.html

"Research by leading energy provider says electric vehicles could be bigger environmental vandals than a V6 Commodore.
A new generation of plug-in cars could do more to damage the environment than a Holden Commodore, according to a major electricity provider.
Origin Energy, Australia’s largest energy supplier, has compared the running costs and carbon dioxide emissions associated with a Nissan Leaf electric car against a similarly sized Mazda3 small car and Toyota’s environmental hero, the Prius.
It shows that in Victoria, which sources most of its electricity from burning brown coal, the Leaf will produce the equivalent of 3.5 tonnes of CO2 over 15,000 kilometres of driving. The Leaf went on sale in Australia last month."



Mauser